Continental 'responsible' for Concorde crash in 2000

[Lars77]

Source: BBC

A Paris court has said Continental Airlines was "criminally responsible" for the crash of a Concorde supersonic jet 10 years ago, and fined it 200,000 euros (£170,000).

It has also been ordered to pay 1m euros to the jet's operator Air France.

A Continental mechanic, John Taylor, was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence over the crash.

Continental has said it will appeal, saying the verdict "only protects French interests".

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11923556

[groundloop]

1. Verdict forgot about Concorde design flaws

A blown tire is an occasional fact of life, and should never be able to bring down an aircraft as it did with Concorde.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

2. that is also being treated as a criminal matter

The whole affair is ridiculous, the French criminalize accidents of all kinds. They aren't singling out an American corporation they do this to everybody.

[friendly_iconoclast]

3. They have a history of protecting Airbus by abusing the court system

The A320 crash at Habsheim being the prior example of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_296


The Concorde had a similar fuel tank puncture years earlier at Dulles. Fortunately, that plane managed to land safely.

Self-sealing tanks were recommended to be retrofit at the time - but of course were not until after the fatal crash...

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

4. Flight 296 had nothing to do with protecting airbus,

The aircraft performed exactly as intended, in that case the French approach to air accidents almost seems appropriate, the captain was thrown in prison and banned from flying for eight years.

Flying against the flight envelope protection will crash most airplanes,